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10 smart tech tools to use when you’re pitching a potential investor

Congratulations! You’ve landed a pitch meeting with a potential investor. They may be interested in your idea, but it’s the presentation you give that will make or break the deal.

From PowerPoint to Prezi, there are numerous technologies that can help you organize and augment your presentation. Ten members of YEC shared their favorite tool to use when giving an investor pitch.

In your opinion, what’s the best technology to use for presenting a pitch to a new potential investor?

1. PowerPoint

Don’t use investor pitches to attempt using a new technology. Investors have very little time (and patience), and they will appreciate seeing what they are already familiar with. The least important part of your pitch is the platform or technology you use. Focus instead on building a company that has proven traction. Keep your presentation simple and stick to the tried and tested PowerPoint. – Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors

2. SlideBot

As abysmal as PowerPoints can be, as an investor myself, I want to see pitch deck. The imagery lends itself to better recall and storytelling. However, I hate making them. So I use SlideBot.io, an AI platform that creates PowerPoints using time-tested presentation secrets and photos that capture the imagination. – Codie Sanchez, www.CodieSanchez.com

3. Skype

The versatility of online VoIP apps like Skype should not be understated. With powerful business tools and screen/audio sharing capabilities, you can easily fashion a PowerPoint-style presentation for your pitch and facilitate a Q&A with your team instantly, no matter where they are in the world. Skype has even recently implemented translation features to help bridge the language barrier. – Bryce Welker, Beat The CPA

4. Canva

Canva is a great tool for creating engaging content that is not the same as a traditional PowerPoint presentation. You are able to bring in your company’s colors and type kits so that everything is uniform and makes sense for your presentation. – Jayna Cooke, EVENTup

5. Prezi

Prezi is an incredibly simple yet effective tool for presenting new ideas. It allows you to easily include various designs and multimedia without intricate coding or formatting, but it also has a unique look that stands out above the rest. While it provides shareable presentations, it’s more secure than a traditional PDF or other format, in that it can’t be downloaded and accessed by other parties. – Justin Lefkovitch, Mirrored Media

6. Attach

I like using Attach.io to send pitch decks to potential investors. I get a notification when the investor opens the pitch and I can watch the investor view the pitch in real time. It’s interesting to see which slides resonate with the investor based on time spent. I can also update the pitch deck to reflect important business changes without having to resend an email attachment to the investor. – Brandon Bruce, Cirrus Insight

7. Storytelling – The oldest technology available

The oldest form of information sharing remains the best because we are psychologically and biologically predisposed to its influence. Storytelling triggers the release of oxytocin, and the more that is released, the more people are willing to help others. This biological edge wins every time. – Eric Mathews, Start Co.

8. Your own technology

The best way to do any pitch is to show, not tell. If you have a product, then you should demonstrate the product live. If you have a service, then you should walk them through or let them use theservice themselves. Get their hands on the product so they can understand it and gain a connection with it. Put it in their hand to create ownership. – Andy Karuza, FenSens

9. Any technology that showcases your quality content

Investors aren’t looking at whether you use PowerPoint, Keynote, slickly produced videos, Prezi or whatever the trending software of the day might be. They want to know how you’re going to make money for them, how well you understand your market and your business. By all means, polish your presentation to a high shine, but it’s the content that matters. – Vik Patel, Future Hosting

10. No technology at all

The best way to pitch is to perfect the presentation on the value and opportunity. Provide a handout or some type of information for the investor that provides research to back claims. That’s all you need – well, that, and maybe a prototype or design of your idea. – Cynthia Johnson, Bell + Ivy

This post is part of our contributor series. The views expressed are the author's own and not necessarily shared by TNW.